Read Online Discovery at Nerwolix by C.G. Coppola - Free Book Online Page A

overhead. With my face mostly
buried in Reid’s chest, I can’t see much. He squeezes me to him,
not an inch of space between us. More shots erupt and Sampson’s
voice carries over us.
    “Now!”
    Reid races forward and we emerge into the
light, the cold immediately descending. I’m shivering against his
chest, soaking up his warmth as a quick crunch-crunch-crunch sounds
below, howls, cries and shouts carrying on in the distance.
    “What about Jothkore?” I ask.
    “He’s already out.”
    “How?”
    Suddenly I’m flying, skidding with speed
through the snow. Coming to a halt, I’m instantly frozen as I scan
the frigid white wasteland around me. What happened? Where’s Reid?
We were hit and then—
    A Vermix stands over me, bleeding from his
snout. His talons hang determined by his hips as he peers down at
me through narrowed yellow eyes. I instinctively go to push myself
up but find my wrists are still bound.
    Shit.
    Scooting back, I get nowhere and the Vermix
advances. My heart pounds with panic, the cold burning into my
exposed forearms and neck, but I’m too drowned in his lethal,
abhorrent stare to notice. Quickly calculating, I’m about to roll
to my side when he pulls out a long whip and lifts his arm. Fear
chokes me. I can’t move. I can’t do anything other than stare at
the razor-sharp edge of the weapon, memories resurfacing of the
pain as it carved through my arm on Harrizel. My breath hitches and
he starts to bring it down. But before he can, Reid’s foot collides
with his snout and the two tumble to the ground.
    Both spring to a stand, the Vermix drawing
back the whip and letting it fly with a hissing crack. Reid dodges
gracefully, rolling to the ground. He swings his legs out, knocking
into the Vermix who stumbles slightly. But in this moment of
instability, Reid is on his feet again, delivering blow after blow
to the Vermix’s soft patch of stomach. The Dofinike swings,
reaching for Rox, but he’s too fast. Too quick and exact in his
movements that the Vermix continually grabs for nothing around him,
yet consistently gets hit with swift, sharp jabs. Finally, he lifts
his whip again, intending to bring it down on me. At this, Reid
jumps on the Dofinike’s back and with both hands around his head,
sharply twists to the side. The Vermix falls forward, landing in
the snow with a hard smack.
    Reid stands over him, fists shaking and
panting. His crazed eyes move from the Vermix to me. Reaching down,
he grabs his discarded Traxpire and pulls me into his arms. “You
okay?”
    “Uh-huh.”
    “We’re leaving right now. Once Clarence
can—”
    But Reid stops.
    His eyes widen and I know something is
wrong. Following his stare, my stomach drops. Vermix encircle us,
not more than a few meters out. These must be the new troops from
Arosin. And Reuzkimpart had wanted fifty. Shit. Where are Sampson
and Clarence?
    Reid grips me tight, his focus going all
around. Panic sets in again and I don’t know what to do. Reid
stiffens, one arm clasping my waist to his and the other holding
out his Traxpire, aimed but not firing. The Vermix stand and watch,
keeping us locked here, secluded from everything else. Like the
Arizal Dofinikes.
    Where are they?
    But then, just past the green gate of
Vermix, a short blue blur stirs in the distance. But I can’t be
certain. I’m too focused on the Vermix who have started to close
in. Reid grips me even harder and that’s when half the Dofinikes
start dropping one by one. They collapse to the white ground,
seeping pools of red around them, dampening the snow. I’m not sure
I’m seeing right but it must be happening. It must be because a
pale blue tidal wave washes over the north end of the circle, the
same tiny blades in their skinny fingers as they climb over the
Vermix bodies. Screams and snarls erupt again, but only from the
north. The Vermix from the south are still racing ahead, ready to
tackle us and Reid is firing his Traxpire on them.
    But there are too